Farming Talk: Initiative helps people connect with farm life

Yesterday was Open Farm Sunday, and hopefully some of you were able to take the opportunity to get out to a local farm and find out more about what goes on there.

As this column was written before the weekend I can't comment on the weather, but fingers crossed it was a bit brighter than it has been in recent days!

Open Farm Sunday is a great initiative to help people reconnect with the countryside and the food that they are eating, and it's something Eblex has supported since the beginning.

This year, to coincide with Open Farm Sunday, we've launched a new Kids' Zone section on our consumer website – www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

The online resource includes games, challenges and quests for children, with illustrated characters to help them learn more about beef and lamb production.

The first quest involved children completing a set of on-farm challenges on the day, and receiving a virtual 'badge' and a bracelet with a web link to exclusive content on the Kids' Zone.

Explaining the benefits of beef and lamb to consumers, and encouraging them to choose farm assured (Red Tractor or Quality Standard Mark) product is a key part of Eblex's role. With incomes squeezed and consumers looking to make economies, it's important that we do what we can to stimulate demand on the home market.

The internet has become one of our key channels for communicating with those who buy beef and lamb, and www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk is the hub for all our online activity. The website has information on our current marketing campaigns, and also is the home to a great selection of beef and lamb recipes.

These days we can't ignore the power of social media, and we have both a simply beef and lamb Facebook page and Twitter feed, which provide other ways for us to talk to consumers. In addition, apps which can be downloaded to smartphones and other mobile devices have become increasingly popular, and the Eblex iBBQ and iFillet apps have both been very well received by consumers.

So if you're struggling for ideas on what to cook tonight, why not pay www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk a visit? You'll find a wealth of beef and lamb information at your fingertips.

Clive Brown is senior northern regional manager of Eblex